Philip Morris International Inc. $PM Position Reduced by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. decreased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,400 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 2.4% of Searle & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $10,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PM. Csenge Advisory Group lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 45,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,766,000 after buying an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 9,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 120,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,917,000 after acquiring an additional 14,792 shares in the last quarter. 71 West Capital Partners increased its position in Philip Morris International by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. 71 West Capital Partners now owns 9,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 5.6% in the third quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $194.31 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.05. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.35 and a fifty-two week high of $214.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.34.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.73% and a negative return on equity of 183.96%. The business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 26th. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were given a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 93.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Argus upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.90.

Philip Morris International Profile

Philip Morris International is a global tobacco and nicotine company that develops, manufactures and sells cigarettes and smoke-free products. Its cigarette brands include Marlboro in markets outside the United States, along with other regional and international brands. The company’s smoke-free portfolio includes IQOS heated tobacco products, ZYN nicotine pouches and VEEV e-vapor products. Philip Morris International sells its products in markets around the world, with availability varying by country and subject to local regulations.